Quarterback Kyle Boller

Transcription

1 Quarterback Kyle Boller 2002 California Golden Bear Football Media Guide 5

2 2002 SEASON OUTLOOK The No. 7 rusher in school history, senior tailback Joe Igber leads Cal s ground attack this season. At his first media conference as Cal s new head football coach, Jeff Tedford was described by one East Bay columnist as a dead ringer for the late actor John Wayne. True, there is a physical resemblance to the man they called The Duke. And while you may never catch him saying, Hello Pilgrim, to an Old Blue, his sincere and earnest approach in relating to his players and alumni suggests this charismatic coach may possess the True Grit necessary to turn around a football program. The 40-year-old Tedford arrived in Berkeley with a gilded reputation as one of the bright young minds and developers of quarterbacks in college football today. During his 14-year coaching career with Oregon, Fresno State and the CFL s Calgary Stampeders, he devised recordsetting offenses at every stop. Under his brilliant tutelage, such quarterbacks as Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer and Joey Harrington blossomed into high first round NFL draft picks. When Cal Athletic Director Steve Gladstone launched a national search for a head coach, he was looking for a man who possessed the traits necessary to turn around a Bear football program that has not posted a winning season since THE JEFF TEDFORD ERA BEGINS We were searching for someone with the creativity, toughness and endurance necessary to turn a program around, said Gladstone. Ultimately, we wanted someone who would both embrace the academic mission of this great university and also get the job done on the football field. We believe Jeff Tedford was the perfect choice. Skeptics still suggest that Cal cannot compete on equal terms in the Pac- 10 with such national powerhouse programs like Oregon, Washington and UCLA. Gladstone begs to differ. Schools like Oregon, UCLA or Oregon State haven t always been national powers, said Gladstone. Clearly, someone seized the opportunity to reverse their fortunes. Do any of those schools have more to offer a prospective student-athlete than Cal does? We are California s oldest university and the country s No. 1 rated public college (U.S. News & World Report). The San Francisco Bay Area is recognized as one of the greatest tourist destinations in the world. Sports Illustrated called Memorial Stadium the best setting for a college football game in the United States. We play in arguably the best football conference in the country. The Berkeley campus offers wonderful diversity and resources. What s not to like here? While the Cal AD makes a compelling argument about his school s poten California Golden Bear Football Media Guide

3 tial, there certainly wasn t much to like about last year s 1-10 record and last-place finish in the Pac-10. Gladstone, however, believes his new coach offers a winning pedigree that will make the Bears competitive in short order. As offensive coordinator at Oregon last season, the tireless Tedford saw his countless hours of work transform Harrington into a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate. Fueled by his superior offensive game plans, Harrington led the nationally No. 2-ranked Ducks to the 2001 Pac-10 championship and a resounding victory over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year s Day. During four seasons at Oregon a period in which the Ducks established themselves as the best program in the Pac-10 with a combined record Tedford earned national acclaim for his out-of-the-box teaching methods. He taught his quarterbacks the mental aspect of execution by playing weekly games of checkers in his office. He created unorthodox practice drills that trained his players to hang onto the football. Both exercises resulted in Oregon committing the fewest turnovers (11) in major college football last year. Clearly driven to succeed, Tedford has resembled a human blur since assuming the Bear reins. In fact, he assembled his Cal coaching staff within 10 days of his hire even before he officially reported for duty after the Fiesta Bowl. Defensively, the group includes three men with defensive coordinator experience on the NCAA Division I-A level, headed by new defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, the former Oregon assistant who produced the WAC s No. 2 scoring defense in his first year as Boise State s coordinator in Tedford hired George Cortez to coordinate his new Cal offense. Cortez was the offensive mastermind for the 2001 Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders of the CFL and the man credited with developing the talents of Jeff Garcia, now a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the nearby San Francisco 49ers. Our goal is to achieve a winning season this year, flatly states Tedford. We believe in our coaches and our system, and from top to bottom, we have a commitment to succeed at the University of California. This season is a year to build the foundation for the future. Some people may think achieving a winning record isn t realistic this soon. One of the hallmarks of this new football regime will be to set our standards high. That s the only way I know how to achieve success. Cal s new leader and his staff wasted little time in launching their recruiting campaign. Despite their late start, the Bears signed a solid group of top-flight high school athletes to national letters-of-intent. Successfully addressing their need for players with more speed and athleticism, Tedford and his coaches landed several prize recruits with big-time college potential. They include three players with All- America honors in running back Marcus O Keith (Carson s Narbonne High) and wide receiver David Gray (Oakland s McClymonds High) both members of the 2001 preseason All-America team selected by SuperPrep magazine and defensive end Monte Parson (Los Angeles Harbor College), a JC Gridwire first team All-America. Add these talented newcomers to a Golden Bears team that returns 25 seniors and 18 starters (seven on offense, nine on defense, two kicking specialists), and there is cause for optimism in Strawberry Canyon. Among those players returning are quarterback Kyle Boller (5,147 yards, 36 TDs), the No. 7 all-time passer in Cal history, and tailback Joe Igber (1,994 yards), the school s No. 7 career rusher. Offering protection to that senior tandem is an offensive linemen anchored by right guard Scott Tercero, a 2001 honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection. Also back on offense are tailback Terrell Williams, the Pac-10 s No. 8 rusher as a true freshman in 2001 who averaged yards in his last five games, and big-play wide receiver LaShaun Ward (23.1 yards per catch). On defense, the charge will be led by end Tully Banta-Cain and free safety Nnamdi Asomugha. Banta-Cain, who was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week following his four-sack rampage in the season-finale at Rutgers, paced last year s Bears with eight sacks and 17 tackles for losses. Asomugha was the team s interception leader with three picks and ranked third in total tackles with 54. Inheriting a team that endured a 1-10 record last season, Tedford s goal for 2002 would represent one of the biggest one-year turnarounds in the country. With a souped-up passing game and new focus on inspired, error-free football, the Bears are clearly entering an exciting new era of Cal football. And although he may not ride into Memorial Stadium wearing a white hat this fall, make no mistake that Jeff Tedford is here to save the day. Here s a position-by-position breakdown of the 2002 Bears, as they enter the fall: OFFENSE Quarterback The days of passing for a state-record 4,838 yards and 59 touchdowns as the 1998 California High School Player of the Year are a distant memory for senior Kyle Boller (6-4, 225), who has shared the topsy-turvy fortunes of Cal football as its starting quarterback the past three seasons. During that period, the Bears have been saddled with an 8-25 record, and Boller will now call signals under his third offensive coordinator in George Cortez. Despite missing two games with a back injury, Boller joined the school s coveted 5,000-yard club last year by connecting on 49.1 percent of his passes (133- for-271) for 1,741 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In the process, he finished his junior campaign No. 7 on the school s all-time list with 5,147 yards, leap-frogging such Cal passing legends as Steve Bartkowski and Craig Morton. Last year, Boller returned from his back mishap to finish strong down the stretch last year, unloading passing afternoons of 278 yards at Stanford and 193 yards at Rutgers in Cal s final two contests. In the spring, Boller further solidified his position as the Bears top signalcaller. He capped the April sessions with a near-perfect effort in the Spring Game, completing 10-of-11 passes for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Four quarterbacks on the roster will be competing for the back-up role, led by sophomore Reggie Robertson (6-2, 205). Robertson, who riddled prep defenses for 7,106 yards and 77 TDs during a shining career at Tucson s Sahuaro High, started two games last year for the Bears. A mobile QB who showed good escapability in his first collegiate action, he clicked on 28 of 65 attempts (43.1%) for 298 yards, one TD and one interception, and rushed for 49 yards and another score in limited duty. Freshman Richard Schwartz (6-4, 210) was a PrepStar All-America at Huntington Beach s Edison High School in 2000, who learned the ropes as a redshirt last season. New to the squad are true freshman Steve Levy (6-1, 220), an all-state passer at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey last season, and sophomore transfer Zac Wasserman (6-3, 210), a native Californian who began his collegiate career at Penn State before deciding to return to his home state. Senior quarterback Kyle Boller has benefited from the tutelage of head coach Jeff Tedford and offensive coordinator George Cortez California Golden Bear Football Media Guide 7

4 Running Back The Bears feature a stable of quality running backs for the upcoming 2002 season, led by senior Joe Igber (5-8, 190) and sophomore Terrell Williams (6-0, 200). Last year, Igber tallied 538 yards in total offense (399 rushing, 139 receiving) and scored four TDs before suffering a season-ending fracture of his clavicle in Game 7 and has averaged 4.5 yards-per-carry during his career in Berkeley. The Nigerian native enters his senior campaign as the school s No. 7 all-time rusher with 1,994 yards and is only one great year away from placing himself among Cal s Top 3 career leaders with such notables as Russell White (3,367) and Chuck Muncie (3,052). However, Igber s return to starting tailback is not a foregone conclusion. Williams blossomed into one of the conference s top freshman last year and is certain to challenge Igber for the top tailback spot. Inserted into the starting lineup following Igber s injury, Williams averaged yards rushing (526 yards, 123 attempts, 3 TDs) over his last five games. While his average would have ranked third among Pac-10 rushers if projected over the entire season, Williams 62.5 yards-per-game figure for the season did rank eighth in the conference, as he netted a teamhigh 688 yards and four TDs on 160 attempts and club-best 4.3 yards per carry. The precocious freshman saved his best for last, as he carved up Rutgers for 231 yards in total offense in the 2001 season finale, rushing for a Cal freshman-record 185 yards on 36 carries and catching five passes for 46 additional yards. True freshman Marcus O Keith (6-1, 190) will also get a long look in preseason training camp to try to prove himself. Perhaps the fastest of Cal s backs, he rushed for more than 3,300 yards and 35 touchdowns during his career at Carson s Narbonne High School. The Bears did suffer a blow when junior Adimchinobe Echemaandu (formerly Joe Echema, 5-11, 215) suffered a ligament tear to his right knee the final week of spring practice and will likely sit out the upcoming season. The starting fullback spot appears to be a battle between senior Ryan Stanger (6-2, 245) and sophomore Pana Faumuina (6-0, 240). Stanger started much of the 2000 season gaining 49 yards on 13 carries for the year but was used sparingly as a junior last year (2 receptions, 25 yards, 1 TD) in reserve behind Marcus Fields. Faumuina has spent the past two seasons in the shadows and could see his most significant action this fall. Others to watch in the offensive backfield including redshirt-freshmen Chris Mandarino (6-1, 220) and Michael Porter (5-9, 210). Mandarino played especially well in the spring game, rushing for 30 yards and two TDs on eight carries, while Porter also impressed the new coaching staff with his abilities. Sophomore tailback Terrell Williams will try to repeat as Cal s rushing leader again this season. Senior LaShaun Ward brings speed to Cal s receiving corps. Wide Receiver The wide receiver position gained plenty of attention from the new coaching staff, both during the recruiting season and in spring ball. Speed was the key element Tedford was looking for, and he hopes to have found it in the three newcomers who signed with the Bears in February. The group features prep All-America David Gray (6-3, 205), who dazzled Bay Area fans last year with his acrobatic catches in averaging 30.9 yards per grab (23 for 710, 10 TDs) at Oakland s McClymonds High, Jonathan Makonnen (6-0, 175) who hauled in 44 receptions for 738 yards and 5 TDs on San Francisco City College s national JuCo championship team last fall, and Grover Cleveland High speed merchant Randy Bundy (6-0, 165), who owns a 4.5 time in the 40- yard dash and 33-inch vertical jump. Leading the returning unit are sophomore Geoff McArthur (6-1, 200) and junior Chase Lyman (6-4, 210). McArthur caught 20 passes for 336 yards (16.8 ypg) and two TDs as a freshman in 2000, but was limited to four receptions for 32 yards in four games last year due to an injury. Lyman earned three starts last fall and was Cal s most consistent receiver in the spring, showing increased speed and soft hands. Senior LaShaun Ward (6-1, 200) is a converted cornerback whose deep-threat speed translated into a 23.1 yards-per-catch average last season. He gathered 18 passes for 416 yards and four TDs in his last five games of Sophomore Burl Toler (6-2, 185) walked on from nearby Bishop O Dowd High School in Oakland last year and corralled 12 passes for 174 yards (14.5 ypg), gaining two starting assignments in his charter season. Senior Chad Heydorff (6-1, 185) hopes to overcome a series of hamstring injuries that have limited his effectiveness since arriving on campus, while sophomore Michael Center-Sparks (6-1, 190) looks to make an impact after converting from tailback in the spring. Tight End A year ago, the Bears managed only 16 receptions from their tight end corps. While those 16 catches return in the persons of 6-4, 240-pound senior Tom Swoboda (8 catches, 89 yards), 6-6, 255-pound sophomore Jordon Hunter (5 catches, 46 yards 1 TD) and 6-4, 260-pound senior Terrance Dotsy (3 catches, 26 yards), it s the addition of all-state JC performer Brandon Hall (6-4, 245) that changes the dynamics at this position. Hall, who was pursued by such football juggernauts as Florida and Nebraska, yanked down 26 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns at Orange Coast College last fall. Primarily serving as a blocking tight end, Swoboda started eight games in 2001, including each of Cal s first seven contests. Hunter, a SuperPrep high school All-America in Albany, Ore., two years ago, started three of the Bears final four games last season and earned Pac-10 All- Freshman first team honors by The Sporting News. Offensive Line Three starters are back along the offensive line, but intense competition among all positions should help develop better protection for Cal s quarterbacks. Seniors Scott Tercero (6-5, 290) and Ryan Jones (6-4, 285) seemed to solidify their starting spots at left guard and center, respectively, with good efforts in the spring. Tercero earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors last fall after earning 11 starts during the year, while Jones rose from a 1998 Castro Valley High walk-on to a seven-game starter last season. Junior Mark Wilson (6-6, 295), a former first team Freshman All-American (Football News), started every game at right tackle in 2001, but made the switch to the left side where he looks to replace four-year starter Langston California Golden Bear Football Media Guide

5 Walker, who was a second-round pick by the NFL s Oakland Raiders this past April. New offensive line coach Jim Michalczik, who transformed Oregon State s line into one of the conference s finest two years ago when the Beavers earned a No. 4 national ranking, has plenty of choices to fill in the other two spots. Sophomore Jonathan Giesel (6-4, 285) emerged as the top candidate at right guard in the spring. The converted defensive tackle sat out last season with a shoulder injury, but Michalczik called him clearly Cal s most improved lineman. Junior Chris Murphy (6-6, 295) has demonstrated very good technique and enters the fall with the No. 1 position at right tackle. Of course, the coaches would like to set a fixed lineup as soon as possible before the 2002 season gets underway, but several other Bears could figure into the mix and move up the depth chart. Junior Nolan Bluntzer (6-4, 285) had a total of three starts at both center and guard last season, and junior Derek Deutsch (6-3, 290) also earned one start this past year. Look for junior guard David Hays (6-3, 290) and redshirt-freshman tackle Ryan O Callaghan (6-7, 325), as well as sophomore tackle Derek Joyce (6-7, 285) to battle to spots in the rotation, as well. Senior guard Scott Tercero anchors an offensive line that returns three starters. DEFENSE Defensive Line This may be the most experienced area of the 2002 Bears, as no less than eight holdovers combined for 42 starts last autumn. Anchoring this veteran unit are end Tully Banta-Cain (6-4, 260) and tackle Daniel Nwangwu (6-4, 290), whose senior leadership will be critical to the Cal defense. Banta- Cain, whose four-sack effort in the season finale at Rutgers gained him Pac- 10 Defensive Player of the Week honors, reeled off 33 tackles last season, ranking third in tackles for loss (17 for 80 yards) and fourth in sacks (8) among conference leaders. His 13.5 career sacks rank 14th on Cal s all-time list. Nwangwu, who joins Banta-Cain as a three-year letterman, added 22 stops, four sacks and five tackles for losses of 29 yards in Tedford cited senior end Tom Canada (6-3, 260), who recovered three fumbles and corralled 22 tackles last year, for his leadership in the spring, and the former JC All-American grabbed one of the starting spots coming out of spring practice. Fellow senior Josh Gustaveson (6-3, 265) earned five starting assignments in 02 and registered 12 tackles for the year. In addition, 6-4, 280-pound Jamaal Cherry should battle for starting duties at an end spot. On the interior, junior Josh Beckham (6-2, 280) and sophomore Lorenzo Alexander (6-3, 290) combined for 51 tackles, including 11 for loss, this past season. Another impact lineman figures to be JuCo import Monte Parson (6-3, 270), a 25-yearold U.S. Navy veteran who earned first team JC All- America (JC Newswire) last season when he fleeced opponents for 57 tackles (including 12 for losses) and seven sacks at Los Angeles Harbor College. End Tosh Lupoi (6-3, 265) and tackle L.P. Ladouceur (6-5, 260) will also contend for significant playing time. Senior linebacker Matt Nixon will be a key figure again on defense and special teams. Senior defensive end Tully Banta-Cain ranked among the Pac-10 leaders in sacks last season California Golden Bear Football Media Guide 9

6 Senior safety Nnamdi Asomugha is Cal s active leader with 134 career tackles. Linebacker Returning seniors John Klotsche (6-0, 235) and Matt Nixon (6-1, 220) were penciled into the starting lineup in every game as last year, and both responded with respectable campaigns. Klotsche stockpiled a team-high 71 tackles, including eight for losses of 41 yards, while the undersized-but-ferocious Nixon added 53 stops with seven for loss, as well as two fumble recoveries and one blocked kick. In fact, Nixon has garnered 22 tackles for losses of 63 yards over his past two seasons. Senior Calvin Hosey (6-4, 235) leads the contingent to replace the graduated Scott Fujita, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Kansas City Chiefs following his senior campaign. Primarily a special teams player in the past, Hosey should see more action on the field this season. Other inside backer hopefuls include senior Paul Ugenti (6-0, 220), who registered nine tackles last year, and sophomore Wendell Hunter (6-1, 220), a hardhitting underclassman who could make a big impact. On the inside, senior Marcus Daniels (6-1, 230) is another special teams player looking to get more field experience, while youngsters Brian Tremblay (6-1, 235), Jaylon DeBruin (6-3, 240), Eli Thompson (6-2, 235), Perron Wiley (6-0, 210) and Sid Slater (6-2, 215) are hoping to gain additional experience this season. Defensive Back Thoroughbred senior free safety Nnamdi Asomugha (6-2, 210) will try to lead the secondary out of last year s doldrums, when the Bears ranked last among Pac-10 schools in pass defense (296.3 ypg). The rangy Asomugha has ranked first (76 in 00) and third (54 last year) in team tackles, respectively, during the past two seasons, and his career 134 stops are the most of any returning Cal player. The Bears also welcome back three cornerbacks who saw starting duty last fall: junior James Bethea (6-0, 200) and seniors Ray Carmel (5-11, 180) and Jemeel Powell (6-1, 190). Bethea had 39 tackles and broke up five passes in earning eight starts last season, while Carmel registered 14 stops with three starts. Powell hopes to return to the form of two years ago when he picked off four passes and broke up a schoolrecord 16 passes. Senior Jemeel Powell enters this fall healthy and eager to return to top form at cornerback. In addition, senior Bert Watts (6-1, 205) gives the Bears another experienced performer in the backfield. He had three starts and 28 tackles as junior last season. This veteran group may find some competition from three freshmen, all of whom will be among the fleetest covermen on the team. The gifted newcomers are Tim Mixon (Compton, Dominguez HS), Donnie McCleskey (La Puente, Bishop Armat HS) and Wale Forrester (Los Angeles, Venice HS). Understudies Ryan Gutierrez (6-0, 190) and Kristian Eriksen (6-0, 195) should figure into the mix at the safety spots. SPECIAL TEAMS Kickers The kicking game promises to be one of Cal s strong assets again in 2002, as junior punter Tyler Frederickson (6-3, 205) and senior placekicker Mark Jensen (6-2, 205) return as two of the Pac-10 s finest. In his first year as the regular punter, Frederickson averaged 39.5 yards per boot to rank in a fifth-place tie in the conference. Jensen, who turned 26 years old over the summer after serving a two-year Mormon mission in Leipzig, Germany, was near flawless last year in earning All- Pac-10 honorable mention notice. He converted 11-of-14 field goal attempts the second-best FG percentage (.786) in the conference and was 22-for-22 in PATs. For his career, Jensen has made 26-of- 38 field goal tries and 59-of-61 extra-points in zooming up the school s all-time scoring list. His 137 points are only seven shy of Cal s Top 15 scorers as he enters his final season. Ironically, Jensen may receive legitimate competition for his job at training camp this summer, when the Bears welcome hot-shot freshman Kevin Johnson (6-3, 185), one of California s greatest high school kickers ever. Johnson boomed a CIF North Section-record 19 field goals during his career at Red Bluff Union High School, including six three-pointers from 50 yards or beyond. The three-time first team all-state selection also launched 106 touchbacks on kickoffs during his prep tenure, a national high school record. Return Specialists With 137 career points, Mark Jensen will try to break into Cal s all-time Top 15 scoring list. Senior Jemeel Powell leads the contingent at punt returner. As a sophomore in 2000, Powell averaged a school-record 18.2 yards per return a figure that ranked fifth in the country. LaShaun Ward and Ray Carmel came out of spring practice with a hold on the kickoff return duties. Ward averaged 21.5 yards on eight returns last season, best on the team. In addition, junior James Bethea (career average of 18.7 yards on 20 returns) and freshmen Randy Bundy, Wale Forrester, Donnie McCleskey and Tim Mixon could land a spot with an impressive fall camp California Golden Bear Football Media Guide